2016 - Court of Appeal judgment welcomed by Adoption UK

Adoption UK welcomes a recent Court of Appeal judgment which it is hoped will redress the balance after adoption placement orders were halved following confusion over two landmark rulings in 2013.

The Re B and Re B-S rulings introduced the concept that adoption orders should only be made when – in the words of one of the judges in the Re B case – “nothing else will do”. In the year following, adoption decisions dropped 40% and placement orders fell 45%.

But the Court of Appeal judgment, in July, has now given social workers and local authorities a helpful steer on applying the 2013 rulings when making decisions about permanence for children who cannot live with their birth parents.

Hugh Thornbery CBE chief executive of Adoption UK, said: “Adoption can offer the best chance to permanently break a cycle of neglect and abuse and give a child a second chance at fulfilling their potential with the support of a loving family - so we cannot stress enough the importance of clearing up any confusion over the 2013 rulings which has undoubtedly had a negative impact upon adoption decisions and placement orders in recent years.

“There are children for whom only adoption will work. Adoptive parents who are able to provide these children with a forever home have a resilience to parent them through thick-and-thin.”

Mr Thornbery was interviewed by Community Care about the Court of Appeal judgment. You can read the article by clicking here.